


The Olive Branch

by NikaylaSarae



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:13:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26223958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikaylaSarae/pseuds/NikaylaSarae
Summary: They used to celebrate Christmas Eve without Anxiety there to ruin things. But this year Roman plans to change that.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 74





	The Olive Branch

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted with minor edits from my Tumblr account @stillebesat.

Roman didn't know how long he'd stood there, hand raised to knock on Anx--Virgil's door. 

“Come on.” He whispered to himself. “It's just knocking.” 

But at the same time it was more than that. This was Virgil's door and Roman hadn't ever actively sought out the dark trait before. A problem he needed to amend now that Anx--Virgil had revealed his name. 

Before then Roman had been quite happy to ignore the stormy dark side whenever there wasn't a video to put on. After all, Anxiety was the bad guy, the antagonist, only needed for the drama. 

He exhaled, hand trembling in place. But Virgil… Virgil wasn't that. Hearing his name only made him more… Real. Real in the sense that Virgil was a real Side, someone more than his job. Someone with feelings. Someone who had wants, dreams, likes, dislikes…

Someone who was probably very tired of being isolated in the mindscape. Someone who probably hated Roman and wouldn't want to open the door once he realized it was him standing there. 

Roman swallowed over the lump in his throat, his heart pounding unevenly in his chest. Just get it over with. Virgil would let him know pretty quickly if his presence wasn't wanted. He dropped his hand to the door in a quick triple rap before taking a step back, trying to appear non-threatening as he waited. 

It felt like an eternity before he heard the fumbling of the lock and the door opened the barest of cracks. 

Roman gave the crack a wide smile. He couldn’t tell if An--Virgil could see him, but it was best to make a good impression. “Greetings, Vir--”   


He flinched as the door closed, shoulders slumping as he stared at the wooden blockade. Well...he had expected this to be the result had he not? It was no secret that they didn’t have the best of relationshi--

The door swung open a little wider, revealing Virgil without the black makeup, his hoodie haphazardly thrown over his shoulders, unzipped. 

Roman gaped at the Side in surprise, he couldn’t recall ever seeing him without the dark emo shadows under his eyes. It made him look all the younger. 

Virgil tilted head, leaning against the doorway, the faint sounds of  _ I’ll be Home for Christmas _ coming from his room. “Well now I’ve seen everything.” He commented, raising an eyebrow. “A Prince without his Princey uniform.”

Roman blinked, glancing down to his white shirt and red pajama bottoms before shrugging. “It’s...well.” He rubbed the back of his head, “Kind of a tradition to be in more relaxed attire on Christmas Eve.” 

Virgil raised an eyebrow, eyes going dark. “Oh?”

Right. Roman really hoped his face wasn’t turning red. Gah! Two seconds of conversation and he was already messing this up. Anx--Virgil wouldn’t know of their traditions. He was never around on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. 

“Yah…” Roman dropped his hands, spreading them out in a peaceful gesture. “I thought...if you weren’t busy.” His eyes flickered to the shadows behind Virgil, wondering why the Anxious Side was listening to that particular song before meeting his gaze. “That is...ah...I came to invite you to come downstairs and join us.”

Virgil’s eyebrows drew together and he gave the slightest shake of his head. “Come again?” 

Roman shrugged. “I thought….” His fingers twitched. “You could join us…this year…Virge.”

Virgil frowned, looking him up and down before again shaking his head. “You don’t want me there.” 

Roman placed his fist on his heart, not liking how certain he sounded. “On my honor, I do.”

He scoffed. “You want Anxiety to come ruin the happy mood?” 

“I want Virgil to come celebrate with us, his Family.” 

Virgil tensed, hand on the handle of the door. “Family?” He repeated with disbelief.

“Yes!” Was it a mistake to refer to him like that? As Family? He’d thought they’d made that clear enough in the last couple of videos.

“You’re kidding.” 

Apparently not. Roman shook his head, his pulse pounding in his ears. He wasn’t kidding! Virgil had to believe him. “No! No. I...look. I just want to try and...well I know it’s not going to make things right. We’ve been…” He gestured vaguely between the two of them. “I’ve been horrible to you, but I thought I’d try and...well you know. Change it. This year.” He trailed off under Virge’s unblinking stare, heart sinking. 

Well, he’d thought it was a good idea, but now it was seeming more and more like a dumb one. Why hadn’t he had Patton come up and invite Virge down instead? He had a better rapport with the anxious side than Roman ever would. Why had he not thought of that sooner! His one chance to invite their Stormcloud to join them and he’d ruined it! 

Virgil exhaled, leaning against the doorway once more, crossing his arms. “I dunno, Ro.”

Roman lifted his head. That wasn’t a straight out No. Maybe there was hope after all. A smile tugged once more at his lips. “Ro?”

“Do you prefer Romano?” 

He winced. 

Virgil smirked, humor briefly dancing in his eyes. “Didn’t think so.” 

So long as he could keep him smiling and convince Virgil to come downstairs...then maybe Roman would tolerate the awful nickname. “Ha...you uh...thought right.” He ran a hand through his hair before gesturing to the stairs. “Look...Virge, it's not anything crazy downstairs. We start off with making and decorating cookies.” 

Virgil snorted, the corner of his lip twitching upwards “Not crazy huh?” 

Okay, Roman had to give him that. “Alright, so Logan gets a little crazy with the frosting...”

Virgil’s eyebrows shot up. “Logan? Not Patton?” 

Roman chuckled, nodding. “Pat’s the sprinkles, but Lo can never get the tubes of frosting to work right, he nearly covered the tree last year--” He shook his head, he was getting off track. “But seriously, Virge, it’s just decorating cookies, Logan reads us The Night Before Christmas, and then we all crash on the floor in front of the tree and watch Christmas movies until we fall asleep. It’s all very lowkey.”

Virgil fiddled with the string of his hoodie, not quite looking at Roman. “...And you want me to join…”

Hadn’t he already stated so? “Yes.” 

Virgil frowned, glancing back into his darkened room, pulling his sleeves over his hands.

Roman leaned forward, struggling to breathe evenly as he waited for the Anxious Side’s answer. 

Virgil exhaled, suddenly zipping up his hoodie. “Alright, fine.” He said stepping out into the hallway shutting the door behind him. “Just don’t...don’t expect me to stay the entire time, okay?” 

Roman grinned, fighting to not laugh out loud as the tension eased from his shoulders. He got Virgil to agree to come join them! Ha! “Of course.” He said with an eager nod, leading him to the stairs. “Stay however long you want.” 


End file.
